


I don't want to presume

by RelicIron



Series: Cross-faction Fraternization [3]
Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic (Video Game)
Genre: Confessions, Disaster Theron, Getting Together, Inferred Illness, M/M, Odessen (Star Wars), Sort Of, basically these are altered scenes from kotfe chapter 9, officially at least, the agent is Tired, they deserve nice things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:40:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26230537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RelicIron/pseuds/RelicIron
Summary: Theron arrives on Odessen to join the Alliance, but so much has happened and it’s been a very, very long time since he’d seen the former agent.
Relationships: Male Imperial Agent | Cipher Nine/Theron Shan
Series: Cross-faction Fraternization [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1706377
Comments: 4
Kudos: 40





	I don't want to presume

**Author's Note:**

> Theron's message he leaves you while you're in carbonite is adorable. And I like it so much better as a romance starter than the painfully aggressive flirting in this damn game.  
> Also this is why we should all periodically read out own fics, cause sometimes it shakes another one out.

Getting Lana’s message had left him with a mixture of nerves and excitement. He’d known, of course, that she’d gotten Jet out. She hadn’t told him herself, but he’d seen the Zakuulan announcements about the big bad Outlander running around like a boogeyman, there to burn their homes and eat their children.

But the image they’d posted of him had been old, clearly taken before he’d disappeared and likely lifted from the holonet, maybe even from his Imperial records before he went off the grid.

He didn’t begrudge Lana keeping their activities quiet, he knew all to well how things worked when you were in hiding, but that didn’t mean he was happy about it.

All he could do was keep his head down and wait for one of them to message him. And when said message came, he’d been gone in a heartbeat, packing his bags in record time.

So here he was, sitting nervously on a shuttle as it broke the Odessen atmosphere and headed toward an external dock so new it was still shiny. New but already busy with small ships coming and going both from the dock and the large bay he could see yawning out from the cliffs nearby.

He wasn’t sure what to expect really. Lana had brought him up to speed but it was all pretty general and he got the feeling she was leaving things out.

Honestly, not surprising when it came to her.

She’d told him about the Gravestone, likely the small, craggy warship settled farther down the canyon, and she’d glossed over the carbonite poisoning and a fight on Asylum that had left Jet badly wounded. Just how poisoned and how wounded, she hadn’t said, and he’d heard enough horror stories about that kind of poisoning to know that sometimes the damage extended to the brain as well as the body.

It was possible that Jet didn’t remember him, and it made something cold settle in his gut.

 _It d_ _oes_ _n’t matter_ , he told himself, _I’m here to do a job whether he remembers or not. It’ll just… take a little more work to get his trust again._

He’d done it before, he could do it again.

Even if part of him would die inside to see those red eyes laser focus on him without any spark of recognition.

After their failed attempt to ‘catch up’ on Nar Shaddaa, they’d never gotten another chance.

Ziost had been too much of a clusterfuck to even talk properly, and although they had collaborated secretly on a few things (mostly Theron feeding Jet a few choice bits of information to help bring down people he couldn’t legally touch) it had all been over comms.

They hadn’t seen each other since the fight with Master Surro.

And that was a very, very long time ago, even taking the carbonite freezing into account.

Just because Theron had gotten hung up over him, didn’t mean the chiss had felt the same after all these years.

Again, assuming he remembered at all.

But as he walked down the shuttle ramp, he saw he’d apparently be confronting all those possibilities sooner rather than later, because there was Jet Vehl, already making his way slowly towards Theron.

His chest felt tight as he looked him over.

Even at this distance, he could see Jet had lost weight, and not in a good way.

His clothes fit just a little looser, and his cheekbones stood out sharper than before. The bright red of his eyes seemed duller, diminished, and there were dark, navy circles beneath them.

He looked like he’d seen better days.

A LOT better days.

But the way his stoic face cracked around a fond smile seemed to chase some of the exhaustion away, and made something flutter in Theron’s stomach.

Damn.

Over six years later, and he still had it bad.

“Theron Shan,” and hell if that familiar croak didn’t soothe some part of him that he hadn’t realized was unsettled.

He can’t help the nervous laugh that trips out of him.

“It’s been a while... wasn’t sure you’d remember me,” Theron says as he scratches the back of his neck.

The warm look Jet give him shows exactly how much he remembers.

“It’s good to see you again, Theron,” he says softly.

“Good, uh... wasn’t sure, based on what Lana said you went through- what you’re _going_ through.”

Smooth, Theron, babble some more why don’t you.

“Been a long five years,” he sighs, “feels like everything has changed.”

Jet chuckles, “I’ll have to take your word for it, it’s barely been a few weeks for me, although...”

He cocks his head to the side and gives Theron a long sweeping look from head to toe and back.

The sort of look that brings unbidden heat to Theron’s cheeks.

“… you seem to have gotten better looking.”

Right, definitely remembers, then.

“I don’t know about that, but I’ll take it,” and if it came out a little higher than it should, then that’s his business.

Though by the smirk Jet flashes him, he heard it loud and clear.

He soldiers on and explains why he’s here, but it’s all kind of hurried so he can get to his little present.

Well, a ship isn’t exactly ‘little’.

The look of surprise and joy on Jet’s face is entirely worth the effort it had taken to track down the Phantom and get it space worthy.

It wasn’t much, compared to what the man had lost, but a little familiarity went a long way for people like him.

\---

The introductions had gone pretty well, considering he’d been presenting a former Imperial agent and at least two advisors were very anti-Imp. Jet’s mask had been at full strength, but he’d been unerringly polite, as he’d always been.

Not that it meant much, Jet was the sort of person who’d very politely gut you if he needed to.

The party hadn’t been his idea. Parties were pretty much _never_ his idea, and he had the sneaking suspicion Jet felt the same, but he’d shown up all the same, and it brought a pleased smile to Lana’s lips.

All things considered- _Rishi_ considered- Theron _had_ actually missed her. She was like the long lost, slightly evil sister he’d never had, and he was honestly glad to see her again.

Even if seeing Jet overshadowed their reunion by a fair margin.

Senya was… reassuring, despite her relation to Arcann. She was efficient and ruthless when she needed to be, and it helped that she was clearly powerful and had inside knowledge. She’d watch Jet’s back well enough.

Koth was kind of weird. Skilled, loyal and a damn good pilot, but sort of naive, especially about his precious Valkorian. Theron trusted him to get the job done, but his refusal to see the former emperor as anything but a benevolent leader was frustrating.

And considering the fact that said emperor had taken up residence in Jet’s head, possibly dangerous.

They’d have to cross that bridge when they got there. Hopefully, by the time Valkorian made his move, Koth’s loyalty will have shifted to Jet.

He’s still running the numbers on their supply chain as the cantina’s music thumps around them, and he’s already deciding that he won’t be staying very long. He can feel the deep bass in his implants as an uncomfortable buzz, and he’ll end up with a headache if he sticks around too long.

Well, a worse headache at least.

But all of that fades away as he sees Jet pick his way through the crowd.

He somehow looks even more tired than before, but he clearly gathers himself before he reaches the bar counter, and when Lana and Koth notice him the smile he gives looks stiff but genuine.

From there they chat a while, mostly reminiscing, listening to Lana and Koth bicker amicably (honestly if those two weren’t together at some point, he’d eat his implants), and ribbing Theron.

Why is ‘teasing Theron’ always a thing in parties he attends? He’d be a little more offended if it wasn’t so nice to see Jet laugh.

They’d been there maybe two hours before it started to become clear that Jet was reaching his socializing limit and honestly, so was Theron.

“Yes, well, I do hope you all carry on without me, but I believe it’s time I left, those Zakuulan patrol movement won’t analyze themselves,” he says.

Koth snorts, but it’s not unkind, “You’re just as bad as Theron.”

“Hey!” he squawks.

“Oh this is nothing, you should have seen him on Yavin 4, I’m fairly certain he was compiling statistics in his implants AND looking over a datapad the entire time we were gathered at the war table,” Lana crows.

“You know what?” he said in mock outrage, “I don’t need to take this, come on Jet, we’ve got better things to do than sit here and be made fun of.”

Jet is clearly hiding a smile and Lana mouths the word ‘subtle’ as he walks passed.

So she knew? Of course she knew. Great. Just one more thing for her to poke fun at.

Although, assuming things went the way he hoped with Jet, he was willing to endure the inevitable teasing.

They talk on their way out of the cantina, and when Jet takes a right to wander out and lean against the dock railing in the cool night air instead of heading inside the base proper, neither of them mention it.

It’s late and the dock is deserted, especially on the far side where they’ve tucked themselves, and Jet seems to relax almost immediately as Theron tells him about how things had gone the last 5 years on his end.

The night makes the red glow of his eyes more obvious, but it’s still dimmer than it was on Nar Shaddaa, and the darkness gives the shadows on his face an almost bruise-like quality.

Stars, he looks so tired.

“Want you to know,” he says, making sure to catch Jet’s eye, “I’ll do everything I can to keep things running smoothly around here.”

Jet smiles wearily.

“I know you will, Theron.”

He can’t help himself. Not when he looks that- that _fragile_.

“Are you… ok? I’m mean of course you’re not but...”

Jet’s smile waivers and fades after a beat, before he seems to sag in place until the railing seems to be the only thing holding him up. Theron reaches out and rests a hand on his shoulder, gently, as if Jet would collapse under the additional weight. To his surprise, instead of stiffening beneath the touch, he leans into it with a sigh.

“To be perfectly honest... no… no I am not alright.”

“Is there anything I can do? I mean, whatever it is, whatever you need, I’ll do it. Even if it’s just a shoulder to lean on,” he says quietly.

He feels like he’s walking on eggshells. Jet isn’t the sort of person to ask for help or show weakness, so the very fact that he’s willing to admit to it means that whatever he’s going through is **bad**.

That he’s admitting it to Theron specifically makes something protective prickle in his chest.

And scares the hell out of him.

One wrong move here, and Jet will close himself off and never let Theron in again.

Jet watches him for a moment before shifting just enough to literally lean against him. Theron’s arm reflexively coming up to wrap around his middle and hold him there.

“A shoulder would be nice,” he rasps tiredly, resting his head against Theron, “so long as it’s yours.”

His throat goes tight and he swallows hard. Jet’s hair is soft where it brushes his neck and his warmth is quickly seeping through Theron’s jacket. The crisp air is filled with the scent of leather and gun oil, and _fuck_ if he wouldn’t do **anything** to keep Jet here, safely tucked into his side and shielded by the darkness.

He hums and turns his nose a little to press it into Jet’s hair as they stand quietly by the railing. The silence is comfortable, until Jet break it.

“I saw your message.”

Theron wracks his brain for a minute before he remembers the mail he’d sent nearly 2 years ago. The one he’d rewritten nearly half a dozen times, and had sent in the middle of the night when he was desperate enough to believe that Jet would ever see it.

It had been an awful, heartsick ramble, but he’d needed to say it, just to get out the feelings he’d been to cowardly to admit to when he still had the chance.

It had also made it very clear that he’d wanted something long term, a proper relationship.

He still wants that. Wants it so much it _hurts_. But he won’t push Jet.

The guy has the weight of the galaxy on his back, and carbonite years aside, it’s been a very long time since they’d spoken, let alone seen each other. A long time to find someone else rather than wait on the Republic spy.

Like he’d said in the message, he didn’t want to presume.

“… yeah… I uh… I wasn’t sure you would, but… I still stand by what I said.”

He tries to keep the strain from his voice, but he’s pretty sure it comes through anyways.

“If it made you uncomfortable or you don’t feel the same, then we don’t need to talk about it, just… know that I’m here for you... whatever you need,” he says softly.

The silence is almost unbearable, so when warm, long-fingered hands slip around him to fist in his shirt, he almost jumps.

“And if I **do** feel then same?”

Theron feels his breath catch as Jet straightens up, and it might be his imagination, but his eyes seem just a little bit brighter.

A breathless laugh tumbles out of him and he can’t help but reach up to cradle his scarred jaw.

“Then you’ve got me,” he whispers helplessly.

It’s almost to dark to see, but he can feel Jet’s smile against his lips when he dips down to meet Theron. Soft, warm, and so achingly familiar, despite only feeling them a few times.

It feels like coming home.


End file.
